Originally called The Front, Front Park was once the most popular recreational destination in the city and a prominent Buffalo icon. As with Delaware Park, Olmsted himself chose the location, but with a different vision in mind. While Delaware Park was to conjure up the sights and sounds of nature, Front Park was to emphasize the natural elements that were unique to Buffalo: the Niagara River and Lake Erie. The park’s spectacular view of the waterways from its commanding bluffs, Olmsted wrote, “would be peculiar to Buffalo and would have a character of magnificence.” Grand, regal, and more formal than many other Olmsted landscapes, The Front was designed for “stately ceremonies,” “civic display,” and other public events. Once the park was opened in the 1870’s it quickly became Buffalo’s most popular park with more than 5,000 visitors on the weekends and over 1,000 visitors on weekdays.